Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the Nikon D700 are two digital cameras that were announced, respectively,
in March 2012 and July 2008. Both are DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are equipped with a full frame sensor. The Canon has a resolution of 22.1 megapixels, whereas the Nikon provides 12.1 MP.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and the
Nikon D700? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors,
their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

An illustration of the physical size and weight of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D700 is provided in the side-by-side display below. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

If the front view area (width x height) of the cameras is taken as an aggregate measure of their size,
the Nikon D700 is somewhat larger (3 percent) than the Canon 5D Mark III. Moreover, the D700 is markedly heavier (13 percent) than the 5D Mark III. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments.

The above size and weight comparisons are to some extent incomplete since they do not consider the interchangeable lenses
that both of these cameras require. Yet, since both cameras are based around a full frame sensor, their respective lenses will tend to have similar dimensions and heft.
You can compare the optics available for the two cameras in the Canon EF Lens Catalog (5D Mark III) and the Nikon Lens Catalog (D700).

Concerning battery life, the 5D Mark III gets 950 shots out of its LP-E6 battery,
while the D700 can take 1000 images on a single charge of its EN-EL3e power pack.

The following table provides a synthesis of the main physical specifications of the two cameras and other similar ones. If you would like to visualize and compare a different camera combination, just use the right or left
arrows in the table to switch to the respective camera. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the CAM-parator app and
make your selection from the full list of cameras there.

Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The D700 was launched at a somewhat lower price (by 14 percent) than the 5D Mark III, which makes it more attractive for photographers on a tight budget. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a full frame sensor, but their sensors
differ slightly in size. They nevertheless have the same format factor of 1.0. Both cameras have a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 3:2.

Technology-wise, both cameras are equipped with CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensors.

With 22.1MP, the 5D Mark III offers a higher
resolution than the D700 (12.1MP), but the 5D Mark III has smaller individual pixels (pixel pitch of
6.25μm versus 8.43μm for the D700). However, the 5D Mark III is a much more recent model (by 3 years and 8 months) than the D700, and its sensor
will have benefitted from technological advances during this time that enhance the light gathering capacity of its pixels.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark III has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 25600, which can be extended to ISO 50-102400.
The corresponding ISO settings for the Nikon D700 are ISO 200 to ISO 6400, with the possibility to increase the ISO range to 100-25600.

For many cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The Overall DXO ratings for the two cameras under consideration are close, suggesting that they provide similar imaging performance. The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

Camera Model

Sensor Class

Resolution (MP)

Horiz. Pixels

Vert. Pixels

Video Format

DXO Portrait

DXO Landscape

DXO Sports

DXO Overall

Camera Model

Canon 5D Mark III»

Full Frame

22.1

5760

3840

1080/30p

24.0

11.7

2293

81

Canon 5D Mark III

Nikon D700«

Full Frame

12.1

4256

2832

-

23.5

12.2

2303

80

Nikon D700

Canon 5D Mark IV«»

Full Frame

30.1

6720

4480

4K/30p

24.8

13.6

2995

91

Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon 5DS«»

Full Frame

50.3

8688

5792

1080/30p

24.7

12.4

2381

87

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

Full Frame

50.3

8688

5792

1080/30p

24.6

12.4

2308

86

Canon 5DS R

Canon 6D«»

Full Frame

20.0

5472

3648

1080/30p

23.8

12.1

2340

82

Canon 6D

Canon 5D Mark II«»

Full Frame

21.0

5616

3744

1080/30p

23.7

11.9

1815

79

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D«»

Full Frame

12.7

4368

2912

-

22.9

11.1

1368

71

Canon 5D

Nikon D810«»

Full Frame

36.2

7360

4912

1080/60p

25.7

14.8

2853

97

Nikon D810

Nikon Df«»

Full Frame

16.2

4928

3280

-

24.6

13.1

3279

89

Nikon Df

Nikon D610«»

Full Frame

24.2

6016

4016

1080/30p

25.1

14.4

2925

94

Nikon D610

Nikon D600«»

Full Frame

24.2

6016

4016

1080/30p

25.1

14.2

2980

94

Nikon D600

Nikon D800«»

Full Frame

36.2

7360

4912

1080/30p

25.3

14.4

2853

95

Nikon D800

Nikon D800E«»

Full Frame

36.2

7360

4912

1080/30p

25.6

14.3

2979

96

Nikon D800E

Nikon D3S«»

Full Frame

12.1

4256

2832

720/24p

23.5

12.0

3253

82

Nikon D3S

Nikon D3«»

Full Frame

12.1

4256

2832

-

23.5

12.2

2290

81

Nikon D3

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The 5D Mark III indeed provides movie recording capabilities, while the D700 does not. The highest resolution format that the 5D Mark III can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The 5D Mark III and the D700 are similar in the sense that both have an optical viewfinder.
The latter is useful for getting a clear image for framing even in brightly lit environments. The viewfinder in the 5D Mark III offers a wider field of view (100%) than the one in the
D700 (95%), so that a larger proportion of the captured image is visible in the finder. On the other hand,
the viewfinder of the D700 has a higher magnification (0.72x vs 0.71x),
so that the size of the image transmitted appears closer to the size seen with the naked human eye. The table below summarizes some of the other core capabilities of the Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon D700 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

Camera Model

Viewfinder (Type or '000 dots)

Control Panel (yes/no)

LCD Size (inch)

LCD Resolution ('000 dots)

LCD Attach- ment

Touch Screen (yes/no)

Mech Shutter Speed

Shutter Flaps (1/sec)

Built-in Flash (yes/no)

Built-in Image Stab

Camera Model

Canon 5D Mark III»

optical

Y

3.2

1040

fixed

n

1/8000s

6.0

n

n

Canon 5D Mark III

Nikon D700«

optical

Y

3.0

922

fixed

n

1/8000s

8.0

Y

n

Nikon D700

Canon 5D Mark IV«»

optical

Y

3.2

1620

fixed

Y

1/8000s

7.0

n

n

Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon 5DS«»

optical

Y

3.2

1040

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

n

n

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

optical

Y

3.2

1040

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

n

n

Canon 5DS R

Canon 6D«»

optical

Y

3.0

1040

fixed

n

1/4000s

4.5

n

n

Canon 6D

Canon 5D Mark II«»

optical

Y

3.0

920

fixed

n

1/8000s

3.9

n

n

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D«»

optical

Y

2.5

230

fixed

n

1/8000s

3.0

n

n

Canon 5D

Nikon D810«»

optical

Y

3.2

1229

fixed

n

1/8000s

5.0

Y

n

Nikon D810

Nikon Df«»

optical

Y

3.2

921

fixed

n

1/4000s

5.5

n

n

Nikon Df

Nikon D610«»

optical

Y

3.2

921

fixed

n

1/4000s

6.0

Y

n

Nikon D610

Nikon D600«»

optical

Y

3.0

921

fixed

n

1/4000s

5.5

Y

n

Nikon D600

Nikon D800«»

optical

Y

3.2

921

fixed

n

1/8000s

4.0

Y

n

Nikon D800

Nikon D800E«»

optical

Y

3.2

921

fixed

n

1/8000s

4.0

Y

n

Nikon D800E

Nikon D3S«»

optical

Y

3.0

921

fixed

n

1/8000s

11.0

n

n

Nikon D3S

Nikon D3«»

optical

Y

3.0

922

fixed

n

1/8000s

11.0

n

n

Nikon D3

One difference between the cameras concerns the presence of an on-board flash. The D700 has one, while the 5D Mark III does not.
While the built-in flash of the D700 is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light.

The Nikon D700 has an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to
capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

The 5D Mark III writes its imaging data to Compact Flash or SDXC cards, while the D700 uses Compact Flash cards. The 5D Mark III features dual card slots, which can be very useful in case a memory card fails. In contrast, the D700
only has one slot.

Connectivity comparison: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Nikon D700 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

Camera Model

Hotshoe Port

Internal Microphone

Internal Speaker

Microphone Port

Headphone Port

HDMI Port

USB Type

WiFi Support

NFC Support

Bluetooth Support

Camera Model

Canon 5D Mark III»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 5D Mark III

Nikon D700«

Y

-

-

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D700

Canon 5D Mark IV«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

3.0

Y

Y

-

Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon 5DS«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Canon 5DS

Canon 5DS R«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Canon 5DS R

Canon 6D«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

Y

-

-

Canon 6D

Canon 5D Mark II«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 5D Mark II

Canon 5D«»

Y

-

-

-

-

-

2.0

-

-

-

Canon 5D

Nikon D810«»

Y

stereo

mono

Y

Y

mini

3.0

Y

-

-

Nikon D810

Nikon Df«»

Y

-

-

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon Df

Nikon D610«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D610

Nikon D600«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D600

Nikon D800«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Nikon D800

Nikon D800E«»

Y

mono

mono

Y

Y

mini

3.0

-

-

-

Nikon D800E

Nikon D3S«»

Y

stereo

-

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D3S

Nikon D3«»

Y

-

-

-

-

mini

2.0

-

-

-

Nikon D3

Both cameras feature a PC Sync terminal to control professional strobe lights, which will be appreciated by studio photographers.

Both the 5D Mark III and the D700 have been discontinued, but can regularly be found used
on eBay. The D700 was replaced by the Nikon D800, while the 5D Mark III was followed by the Canon 5D Mark IV. Further information on the two cameras (e.g. user guides, manuals), as well as related accessories, can be found on the official
Canon and Nikon websites.

Review summary: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is the Canon 5D Mark III better than the Nikon D700 or vice versa? Below is a summary of the relative strengths of each of the two contestants.

Easier fill-in: Has a small integrated flash to brighten shadows of backlit subjects.

More affordable: Was released into a lower priced segment (14 percent cheaper at launch).

More heavily discounted: Has been around for much longer (launched in July 2008).

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the 5D Mark III emerges as the winner of the contest (8 : 6 points). However, the pertinence of the various camera strengths will differ across photographers, so that you might want to weigh individual camera traits according to their importance for your own imaging needs before making a camera decision. A professional wildlife photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges
from the perspective of a family photog, and a person interested in architecture has distinct needs from a sports shooter. Hence, the decision which camera
is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

5D Mark III 08:06 D700

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Canon 5D Mark III and the Nikon D700 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest
Best DSLR Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance when actually working with the 5D Mark III or the D700. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate.

Expert reviews: Canon 5D Mark III vs Nikon D700

This is why expert reviews are important. The adjacent summary-table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, and photographyblog). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge,
reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Other camera comparisons

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